Electric signal.



No. 629,624@ Patentd my 25, |899. w. H. slLLwELL.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL.

(Application filed May 17, 1899.)

27m/Ill l www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VENDELL HAUGH STILLVELL, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,624, dated July 25, 1899.

. Application tiled May 17, 1899.

To all whom, it mfcty/ cm1/cern:

Be itknown thatl, WENDELL HAUGH STILL* WELL, of Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Electric Signal, of which the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to electric signaling devices adapted to be placed in a locomotivecab or other part of a train; and the object is to provide a signal arranged in an electric circuit and adapt-ed to be automatically closed as the train approaches a station to indicate to an engineer or to a trainman that special orders or notices may require attention and which might be overlooked or Vforgotten if attention were not called to them.l

I will describe an electric signal embodying my invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Referenceis to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters ot' reference iudicate corresponding parts in all the iigures.

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a portion of a locomotive-cab, showing my invention as applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a front view of an orderholding and short-circuiting device employed. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 6, showing a circuit-closer employed. Fig. (l is a section on the line G 6 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7 7 of Fig. G.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates an order-holding board, here shown as arranged in the cab of a locomotive, and attached to this board is an alarm-bell 2, which alarm-bell is shown placed in a circuit comprising wires 3 4 and a battery 5. Connected to the board 1 is a spring-pressed clip G, designed forholding papersdsuch, for instance, as orders or despatohes--and this clip is also designed to engage with contact-points 7 8, arranged in the circuits 3 4. The object of this arrangement f parts will be hereinafter described.

Arranged within the cab is a circuit-closer colnprising a spring-contact 9, having connection with the wire 3, and a spring-contact 10, having connection with the wire 4, the contact 10 being secured to a back plate 11 and the contact 9 secured to a front plate 12,

Serial No. 717,205. (No model.)

and a lever 13, pivoted to the inner 'side of the front plate 12, is designed to be moved between the contacts 9 and 10 to close Jthe circuit. Attached to one end of this lever 13 is a knob 14, the stem of which extends vthrough an arc slot 15, formed in the front plate 12, and one end of this arc slot is enlarged,` so that when the knob is in the proper position the front plate may be removed or placed in position when said operation is necessary. The opposite end of the lever 13 extends into the line of vertical movement of a shifting rod 16, the plates 11 and 12 being provided each with a channel in which the rod may move and be guided.

The rod 16 extends downward through the cab and has connection with a striker-rod 17, mounted to move vertically in a hanger 18, attached to the bottom of the cab or to any otherconvenientpartofthecab. Thestrikerrod 17 is held yieldingly downward by means of a spring 19, surrounding said rod andengaging at its upper end with a cross-bar in the hanger 18 and at its lower end witha collar 2O on the rod.

The lower end ofthe rod 17 is provided with a roller 21 of any suitable material-such, for instance, as hard rubber, vulcanite, or the like-or it may be of metal with a rubber rim. This roller 21 is designed to engage with a lifting-block 22, secured to the railwayties at the side of the rail and at any suitable distance from a station. This block 22 is inclined downward from its center in both directions.

ln operatioirwhen the roller 21 rides upon the block 22 the rod 17 will be moved upward, as will also the rod 16. The rod 1G by engaging the lever 13 will force said lever into engagement with the contacts Sl and 10, closing the circuit. Should there be no papers underneath the clip 6 or between said clip and the contacts 7 and 8, the alarm will not sound, because the current will be short-circuited by the clip 6 cutting the bell out. Should the clip, however, be insulated from the contacts 7 and S by means of paper upon which orders or despatches are printed, the current will pass through the bell 2, sounding the same to give an alarm, and this alarm will continue to sound until the circuit is opened by the engineer or any person moving the le- IOO ver 13 out of engagement with the contacts sliort-circuit the current and out out ille and l0 b5 pushing` upward on the knob ll. i alarm, substantially as specified. Of course after the roller 2l shall have passed itive-cab, comprising,r an electric circuit, an

off the end of the block 22 the spring l) will force the rods 1G and 17 downward.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A signaling` device, comprising` an electric circuit, a circuit-closer arranged in the circuit, means operated from a block at the side of a track-rail, for closing` the circnitcloser, and an order-holding clip, the said order-holding clip also serving` as a short-circuiting device, substantially as speciiied,

i. A signaling device, comprising` an electric circuit, a circuit-closer arranged in tlie circuit and adapted io be automatically closed, an alarm in the circuit, contact-points having` connection with the circuit-Wires, and a clip adapted for holding papers and also adapted io engage with the contactpoints to 13. An electric alarm arranged in a locomoalarm in the circuit, means for short-circuiting the current, the said means also serving,r as a holder for papers, a cut-out in the circuit, a rod extended downward through the cab, and a roller on the lower end of said rod for engaging with a block at the side of a trackrail, to lforce the rod upward to close the circuit-closer, substantially as specified.

L An electric alarm, comprising an electric circuit, means for automatically closing tlie circuit, an alarm-bell in the circuit, and a spring-pressed clip adapted to short-circuit the current and also adapted for holding papers, substantially as specified.

VENDELL HAUGH STILLWELL.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM Oris NEVILL, Max mngmN HERMAN MA i nu. 

